D'vrei Torah
Be Culturally Radical: Live As If You Are Dying
Reb Simcha Raphael provides some reflections on Yizkor. [Read more…]
yizkor
D'vrei Torah
Dvar Torah, Shavuot Yizkor 5783
In this d’var Torah for Shavuot Yizkor, Chaplain David Balto writes about the “soul garment,” that according to the Zohar, we receive in the 30 days immediately following death of the body. [Read more…]
Reflections on Aging
Post-Yizkor Thoughts
Is a picture still worth a thousand words? We don’t talk of “pictures” much anymore, nor of “flashbulbs.” We speak of “images” now. However, a proverb may be worth a thousand words … or more. [Read more…]
Rituals
Yom Kippur 5781: Yizkor For COVID-19 Victims
For Yom Kippur, Chaplain Barry Pitegoff offers a Yizkor prayer for COVID-19 victims. [Read more…]
Living Longer-Living Better
Guest Blog Post: Yizkor – Remembering Our Ancestors in Pandemic Times
Reb Simcha Raphael links the observance of Yizkor in a time of public health lockdown with an effort to make a more solid spiritual connection. [Read more…]
Reflections on Aging
We Are the Ones God Sends
Rabbi Stephen Karol discusses the value of Yizkor, the service of remembrance, and our role comforting the bereaved — and ourselves. [Read more…]
Reflections on Aging
A Harvest of Memories
JSA contributor Rabbi Stephen Karol links the farming cycle and harvest to memories and Yizkor. [Read more…]
Slider
Be Culturally Radical: Live As If You Are Dying
Reb Simcha Raphael provides some reflections on Yizkor. [Read more…]
Living Longer-Living Better
“May God comfort you…” Upon Ending Shloshim For My Father
Editor’s Note: As Passover ends, we are again given the opportunity, in ritual fashion, for one of our tradition’s Yizkor services. To remember is a gift. This guest blog post for Pesach Yizkor is from [Read more…]
Talmud Torah
Yom Kippur and the Tradition of Remembering Souls on the Other Side
Editor’s Note: This commentary is adapted from Rabbi Raphael’s April 1, 2015 article in the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent. On Yom Kippur, it is traditional to recite Yizkor prayers in memory of deceased loved ones. The [Read more…]